Soldier Keep On Marching On

Fullmetal vs. Flame

Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth.

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The day of the mock battle arrived and Aiden spent her early morning directing soldiers. Some had to put up barricades in the parade grounds so both alchemists knew where their zone ended and the audiences began. It was when she was sitting up against a wall that Alphonse approached her.

"Hello Alphonse," she greeted warmly. Her foot was stretched out in front of her as she slowly turned her ankle to test its limits. 

Soldiers passed by them as they found their places to watch the show. A few were making bets on who would win and how.

"Hello Aiden!" The suit of armor stood next to her when he noticed a deck of cards laying in front of her and the teen looked curiously upon the blue colored set. Aiden raised an eyebrow when he didn't automatically say something. "So, uh," he said awkwardly. "I wanted to know why you suggested a mock battle between the Colonel and my brother."

"Yeah, that's fair. It was mostly to help your brother and Roy..." 

He sensed a but coming. "But..." he prompted.

"But without Katy here my usefulness to them has dwindled a lot. Right now I'm a Lieutenant Colonel who knows too much." Aiden quieted as a soldier ambled by and continued when they were out of earshot. She shuffled the cards and started to sort them. "There was a greater chance of them killing me so I had to prove that I could be useful in the Investigations Department. It's likely now that I'll be doing some of their dirty work and covering things up for them."

Alphonse gasped at the information. He and Ed hadn't thought of that. The woman held up a three of diamonds. "With my intellect and my position within the military, no longer am I this replaceable three." She grinned and held up a seven of spades. "I'm this to them. But little do they know -" Aiden held up a queen of hearts, "- that I am the queen of this game."

He shuddered at the look in her eye and the tone of her voice. She didn't sound like the caring and motherly person he'd seen every time they'd interacted. It was more like she'd been pushed off the deep end and was crawling back up to make whoever pushed her pay dearly. She sounded like Ed on a really bad day. 

Aiden picked up the cards and shuffled them neatly back into the box. "Come see me tomorrow Alphonse. You can inform your brother if you want. Hell, bring him along if you so wish."

"Uh, sure, okay."

"Hey, Al!" The pair looked over to see Edward running towards them. "What are you doing over here?"

"I was teaching your brother how to play poker," Aiden said innocently, a grin easily slipping onto her face as she held up the stack of cards. "It's a good game to know. Especially when your friends abandon you at a bar. Being able to hustle strangers is a skill any good person should know how to do."

"Anyone who can hustle strangers as easily as you can isn't a good anything."

Aiden's grin broke out into a wide smile. "Roy! Didn't see you there! Did you know I once hustled this guy and ended up with an owl and enough money to buy a new car? Tracked him down the next day and gave it all back, but the owl comes around once in a while for food. Turns out he was a cousin of the Armstrong's. Who knew?"

It'd been years ago - when she'd first returned from Ishval. Maes, Armstrong, and a few others had gone off to who knew where and left her sitting at the table alone, probably assuming she could take care of herself. Which she could, it was just rude. A man had approached her and obviously thought she was drunk, given how many rounds surrounded her, though none of them aside from one were hers.